BBC Three have commissioned Galaxy Dance, its first original animation in over 20 years. Here are the details:
In 2003, BBC Three, then a new channel, commissioned Monkey Dust, one of the darkest animated series ever seen on British television.
Written by Shaun Pye and Harry Thompson, it was a sketch show that handled many taboo topics and featured a cast which included Simon Greenall, Sharon Horgan, Morwenna Banks, Rebecca Front, Frances Barber and Kate Robbins. The show ran for three series between 2003 and 2005 and has become a cult classic.
Now, BBC Three have commissioned its first original animation in over 20 years.
The synopsis for the new show, Galaxy Dance, reads as follows:
Galaxy Dance is set amid Eurovision 2989, with the interstellar dance competition seeing a myriad of alien groups and Earth’s human band competing for a prize fund so gigantic it could save the planet from extinction. The only issue...
In 2003, BBC Three, then a new channel, commissioned Monkey Dust, one of the darkest animated series ever seen on British television.
Written by Shaun Pye and Harry Thompson, it was a sketch show that handled many taboo topics and featured a cast which included Simon Greenall, Sharon Horgan, Morwenna Banks, Rebecca Front, Frances Barber and Kate Robbins. The show ran for three series between 2003 and 2005 and has become a cult classic.
Now, BBC Three have commissioned its first original animation in over 20 years.
The synopsis for the new show, Galaxy Dance, reads as follows:
Galaxy Dance is set amid Eurovision 2989, with the interstellar dance competition seeing a myriad of alien groups and Earth’s human band competing for a prize fund so gigantic it could save the planet from extinction. The only issue...
- 4/24/2024
- by Jake Godfrey
- Film Stories
To celebrate the release of Whitstable Pearl Series 2 on DVD from 24th March, we are giving away DVDs to 3 lucky winners!
Return to the stunning Kent coast for another dose of seaside suspense in Whitstable Pearl Series 2, which sees the brilliant Kerry Godliman reprise her role as the eponymous Pearl, a restaurateur turned private detective. The series sees the return of familiar faces Frances Barber and Howard Charles and introduces a new character played by TV favourite Robert Webb (Peep Show).
Set in the picturesque 16th century English seaside resort of Whitstable, one of Kent’s most stunning coastal towns famous for its native oysters, the enthralling mystery series, based on acclaimed author Julie Wassmer’s (EastEnders) popular novels The Whitstable Pearl Mystery and Disappearance at Oare is brought to life by iconic Norwegian filmmaker Øystein Karlsen.
Series two sees the big-hearted Pearl Nolan (Godliman) continue to juggle her impeccable...
Return to the stunning Kent coast for another dose of seaside suspense in Whitstable Pearl Series 2, which sees the brilliant Kerry Godliman reprise her role as the eponymous Pearl, a restaurateur turned private detective. The series sees the return of familiar faces Frances Barber and Howard Charles and introduces a new character played by TV favourite Robert Webb (Peep Show).
Set in the picturesque 16th century English seaside resort of Whitstable, one of Kent’s most stunning coastal towns famous for its native oysters, the enthralling mystery series, based on acclaimed author Julie Wassmer’s (EastEnders) popular novels The Whitstable Pearl Mystery and Disappearance at Oare is brought to life by iconic Norwegian filmmaker Øystein Karlsen.
Series two sees the big-hearted Pearl Nolan (Godliman) continue to juggle her impeccable...
- 3/17/2024
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Jim Reeve, a British entertainment executive and producer with more than 40 years experience in the business, died on Feb. 27. He was 64.
Reeve founded and was chair of U.K. media company Great Point. “It is with profound sadness that Great Point must confront the sudden and unexpected loss of our founder, mentor and friend, Jim Reeve, who passed away on Tuesday February 27, 2024,” the Great Point team said in a statement. “Jim had a storied career in the entertainment business spanning 40 years, and his passing will be mourned by a great many. Our thoughts are with Jim’s family most of all during this incredibly difficult time.”
Prior to founding Great Point in 2013, Reeve served as senior investment director at the Ingenious Group.
Reeve has more than 120 credits as a producer or executive producer, in projects featuring top British and international talent, beginning with thriller “The Whistle Blower,” starring Michael Caine and James Fox,...
Reeve founded and was chair of U.K. media company Great Point. “It is with profound sadness that Great Point must confront the sudden and unexpected loss of our founder, mentor and friend, Jim Reeve, who passed away on Tuesday February 27, 2024,” the Great Point team said in a statement. “Jim had a storied career in the entertainment business spanning 40 years, and his passing will be mourned by a great many. Our thoughts are with Jim’s family most of all during this incredibly difficult time.”
Prior to founding Great Point in 2013, Reeve served as senior investment director at the Ingenious Group.
Reeve has more than 120 credits as a producer or executive producer, in projects featuring top British and international talent, beginning with thriller “The Whistle Blower,” starring Michael Caine and James Fox,...
- 3/1/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Whitstable Pearl is returning for a third season. Acorn TV has renewed the British crime drama based on the mystery novels by Julie Wassmer. Season two was released in November 2022 on the streaming service.
Starring Kerry Godliman, Frances Barber, Rohan Nedd, Robert Webb, and Emily Head, the series follows a private detective and single mother of a grown son, Pearl Nolan (Godliman). She and her widowed mother (Barber) run the Whitstable Pearl, a seafood restaurant in their coastal town. After a friend dies under suspicious circumstances, Pearl butts heads with the new detective in town, gruff Mike McGuire (Charles).Read More…...
Starring Kerry Godliman, Frances Barber, Rohan Nedd, Robert Webb, and Emily Head, the series follows a private detective and single mother of a grown son, Pearl Nolan (Godliman). She and her widowed mother (Barber) run the Whitstable Pearl, a seafood restaurant in their coastal town. After a friend dies under suspicious circumstances, Pearl butts heads with the new detective in town, gruff Mike McGuire (Charles).Read More…...
- 2/4/2024
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Exclusive: Whitstable Pearl has been greenlit for a third season by AMC streaming platform Acorn.
The British crime drama stars After Life‘s Kerry Godliman in the lead role and is based on the mystery novels by Julie Wassmer.
In Season 3 of the show from Crime producer Buccaneer, Godliman returns to build her private detective business, finding herself involved in more diverse investigations, including reopening an infamous local cold case and the death of a famous food critic. She’s aided and abetted by her outspoken, feisty mum Dolly and still going strong with boyfriend Tom, but it’s navigating her complex relationship with Dci Mike McGuire that still proves Pearl’s most challenging case
Howard Charles returns as Dci Mike McGuire and other returning cast members include Frances Barber as Dolly, Robert Webb as Tom Grant, Isobelle Molloy as Ruby Williams and Sophia del Pizzo as DS Nikki Martel.
The British crime drama stars After Life‘s Kerry Godliman in the lead role and is based on the mystery novels by Julie Wassmer.
In Season 3 of the show from Crime producer Buccaneer, Godliman returns to build her private detective business, finding herself involved in more diverse investigations, including reopening an infamous local cold case and the death of a famous food critic. She’s aided and abetted by her outspoken, feisty mum Dolly and still going strong with boyfriend Tom, but it’s navigating her complex relationship with Dci Mike McGuire that still proves Pearl’s most challenging case
Howard Charles returns as Dci Mike McGuire and other returning cast members include Frances Barber as Dolly, Robert Webb as Tom Grant, Isobelle Molloy as Ruby Williams and Sophia del Pizzo as DS Nikki Martel.
- 2/2/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Ian McKellen plays the title role in Hamlet, and his stage performance is going to be beamed to cinemas.
Ian McKellen is no stranger to a Shakespeare soliloquy. Having played in every one of his plays many times over, from the towering titan King Lear to the Scottish Play and Richard III.
Now, he is bringing Hamlet, often cited as one of the all time great parts for an actor, to the big screen for one night only.
The synopsis reads as follows:
A tale of revenge that has stood the test of time, William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy is reimagined for the modern day as a gripping psychological thriller! Transcending the confines of the stage in a uniquely modern spin, the film utilises nearly every room of the Theatre Royal Windsor to transform it into the immortal Elsinore Castle, from basement dungeon to roof-top battlement. Ian McKellen, reprising his role as Hamlet,...
Ian McKellen is no stranger to a Shakespeare soliloquy. Having played in every one of his plays many times over, from the towering titan King Lear to the Scottish Play and Richard III.
Now, he is bringing Hamlet, often cited as one of the all time great parts for an actor, to the big screen for one night only.
The synopsis reads as follows:
A tale of revenge that has stood the test of time, William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy is reimagined for the modern day as a gripping psychological thriller! Transcending the confines of the stage in a uniquely modern spin, the film utilises nearly every room of the Theatre Royal Windsor to transform it into the immortal Elsinore Castle, from basement dungeon to roof-top battlement. Ian McKellen, reprising his role as Hamlet,...
- 12/15/2023
- by Jake Godfrey
- Film Stories
"Revenge should have no bounds." Kaleidoscope Ent. in the UK has revealed an official trailer for a filmed version of Hamlet, which will be playing in UK cinemas next February for one night. This brand new take on Hamlet was recorded at the Theatre Royal Windsor in 2021, during the original run of this performance. The great Ian McKellen reprises his lead role as Hamlet, a man who descends into madness as he seeks vengeance against his uncle for the alleged murder of his father. A tale of revenge that has stood the test of time, Shakespeare's classic tragedy is reimagined for the modern day as a gripping psychological thriller. "Transcending the confines of the stage in a uniquely modern take, the film utilises nearly every room of the Theatre Royal Windsor to transform it into the immortal Elsinore Castle." Along with McKellen, the cast also includes Jonathan Hyde, Jenny Seagrove,...
- 12/13/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Steven Moffat has penned Douglas Is Cancelled, his first comedy series in two decades. More details within:
Before Steven Moffat became known for writing some of the greatest episodes of Doctor Who, like The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, The Girl In The Fireplace, Blink, Silence In The Library/Forest Of The Dead and then showrunning the Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi eras, he was a prolific comedy writer.
His first series, Press Gang, was a huge success and he followed it up by drawing on his own divorce for the fantastic, farcical Joking Apart. Though school sitcom Chalk was a misfire, he quickly went on to his his greatest sitcom success when he wrote Coupling, a tightly plotted ensemble sitcom that included one episode with half the dialogue in Hebrew and another in split screen, with several plots taking place simultaneously.
Since then, Doctor Who aside, he wrote a brilliant,...
Before Steven Moffat became known for writing some of the greatest episodes of Doctor Who, like The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, The Girl In The Fireplace, Blink, Silence In The Library/Forest Of The Dead and then showrunning the Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi eras, he was a prolific comedy writer.
His first series, Press Gang, was a huge success and he followed it up by drawing on his own divorce for the fantastic, farcical Joking Apart. Though school sitcom Chalk was a misfire, he quickly went on to his his greatest sitcom success when he wrote Coupling, a tightly plotted ensemble sitcom that included one episode with half the dialogue in Hebrew and another in split screen, with several plots taking place simultaneously.
Since then, Doctor Who aside, he wrote a brilliant,...
- 11/17/2023
- by Jake Godfrey
- Film Stories
Asia Argento (“The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things”), Frances Barber (“A Bird Flew In”), Tamer Hassan (“The Football Factory”), Laura Whitmore (“Sadhbh”) and child actor Erin Ainsworth have joined the cast of “A Mother for an Hour.”
The film, which is being directed by Giga Agladze, follows the story of a woman who poses as the lost mother of a dying child and discovers through this act a world of deceit and violence.
Agladze’s most recent movie is surrealistic drama “The Other Me” (2022), starring Jim Sturgess and Andrea Pejic, executive produced by David Lynch.
“A Mother for an Hour” is being produced by Kirsty Bell, Goldfinch CEO and co-founder of The Number 44, and Ben Charles Edwards, also a co-founder of The Number 44. The executive producers are Phil McKenzie and David Kereselidze. It is shooting in the North of England, predominantly in Newcastle, Hartlepool and surrounding areas.
Production...
The film, which is being directed by Giga Agladze, follows the story of a woman who poses as the lost mother of a dying child and discovers through this act a world of deceit and violence.
Agladze’s most recent movie is surrealistic drama “The Other Me” (2022), starring Jim Sturgess and Andrea Pejic, executive produced by David Lynch.
“A Mother for an Hour” is being produced by Kirsty Bell, Goldfinch CEO and co-founder of The Number 44, and Ben Charles Edwards, also a co-founder of The Number 44. The executive producers are Phil McKenzie and David Kereselidze. It is shooting in the North of England, predominantly in Newcastle, Hartlepool and surrounding areas.
Production...
- 11/6/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The film was produced by the late Bill Kenwright, who died last week.
Kaleidoscope Film Distribution has picked up international sales for Sean Mathias’ contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, starring Ian McKellen, and produced by the late Bill Kenwright.
Kenwright, who died last week aged 78, produced through his UK outfit Bk Studios.
Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment will release theatrically in the UK in early 2024.
Mathias, whose credits include Bent, has reimagined Shakespeare’s tragedy as a psychological thriller. McKellen plays Hamlet, a man who descends into madness as he seeks vengeance against his uncle for the alleged murder of his father.
Kaleidoscope Film Distribution has picked up international sales for Sean Mathias’ contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, starring Ian McKellen, and produced by the late Bill Kenwright.
Kenwright, who died last week aged 78, produced through his UK outfit Bk Studios.
Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment will release theatrically in the UK in early 2024.
Mathias, whose credits include Bent, has reimagined Shakespeare’s tragedy as a psychological thriller. McKellen plays Hamlet, a man who descends into madness as he seeks vengeance against his uncle for the alleged murder of his father.
- 10/31/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
The captivating British crime drama “The Chelsea Detective” is set to make its highly-anticipated return to Acorn TV on Monday, August 28, with new episodes premiering weekly. Starring Adrian Scarborough as Detective Inspector Max Arnold, the second season of the show consists of four feature-length episodes that continue to delve into the intriguing and dark world of crime in London’s richest borough.
In this new season, Di Max Arnold partners with Detective Sergeant Layla Walsh, portrayed by Vanessa Emme. The two detectives uncover hidden killers among the glamorous art galleries and luxurious homes of Chelsea, exposing the sinister underbelly of the borough. As they navigate the glossy and stylish world, they must confront the darkness that lies beneath its surface.
Returning cast members include Sophie Stone as Chief Forensics Officer Ashley Wilton, Lucy Phelps as DC Jess Lombard, Peter Bankolé as DC Connor Pollock, Anamaria Marinca as Di Arnold’s ex-wife Astrid,...
In this new season, Di Max Arnold partners with Detective Sergeant Layla Walsh, portrayed by Vanessa Emme. The two detectives uncover hidden killers among the glamorous art galleries and luxurious homes of Chelsea, exposing the sinister underbelly of the borough. As they navigate the glossy and stylish world, they must confront the darkness that lies beneath its surface.
Returning cast members include Sophie Stone as Chief Forensics Officer Ashley Wilton, Lucy Phelps as DC Jess Lombard, Peter Bankolé as DC Connor Pollock, Anamaria Marinca as Di Arnold’s ex-wife Astrid,...
- 8/10/2023
- by Morgan Hall
- TV Everyday
The Chelsea Detective is returning for its second season later this month on Acorn TV. The streaming service has announced the return of the British crime drama with the release of a trailer. Season two sees the addition of a new partner for Detective Inspector Max Arnold.
Starring Adrian Scarborough and Vanessa Emme, the season will consist of four episodes, each with a mystery ready for the pair to solve in the area of West Chelsea in London. Sophie Stone, Lucy Phelps, Peter Bankolé, Anamaria Marinca, and Frances Barber also star in the series.
Read More…...
Starring Adrian Scarborough and Vanessa Emme, the season will consist of four episodes, each with a mystery ready for the pair to solve in the area of West Chelsea in London. Sophie Stone, Lucy Phelps, Peter Bankolé, Anamaria Marinca, and Frances Barber also star in the series.
Read More…...
- 8/5/2023
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
John William Polidori was in the room with Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, and Percy Shelley when they issued the storytelling challenge that resulted in Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein. Polidori’s contribution to this challenge was the short story The Vampyre, published in 1819 – and Deadline reports that Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) has signed on to star in an adaptation of The Vampyre that’s called The Vampyre: Blood & Ink.
First-time writer Rosanna Hamlin is working with playwright Trisha Ward on the screenplay. The story begins with Lord Ruthven, a mysterious and magnetic nobleman who captivates London society with his charismatic charm. Aubrey, a young Englishman, becomes infatuated with Ruthven and is drawn into a world of secrets and supernatural horror. As Aubrey uncovers the truth about Ruthven’s sinister nature, he finds himself trapped in a perilous battle against the allure of the vampire’s deadly powers. Deadline notes that...
First-time writer Rosanna Hamlin is working with playwright Trisha Ward on the screenplay. The story begins with Lord Ruthven, a mysterious and magnetic nobleman who captivates London society with his charismatic charm. Aubrey, a young Englishman, becomes infatuated with Ruthven and is drawn into a world of secrets and supernatural horror. As Aubrey uncovers the truth about Ruthven’s sinister nature, he finds himself trapped in a perilous battle against the allure of the vampire’s deadly powers. Deadline notes that...
- 6/16/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
John William Polidori’s classic 1819 tale of The Vampyre is coming to the screen with upcoming movie The Vampyre: Blood & Ink, Deadline reports this week.
Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) and Derek Jacobi (Murder on the Orient Express) will star in the film, which comes courtesy of Milky Way Media.
Frances Barber (Dreamland), Amelia Gething, Amelia Clarkson, and Bill Fellows (Ted Lasso) also star.
Rosanna Hamlin and Trisha Ward are writing the screenplay.
Deadline details, “The Vampyre: Blood & Ink will depict Polidori’s dark account of the famed and mythical creatures. Pic will begin with Lord Ruthven, a mysterious and magnetic nobleman who captivates London society with his charismatic charm. Aubrey, a young Englishman, becomes infatuated with Ruthven and is drawn into a world of secrets and supernatural horror. As Aubrey uncovers the truth about Ruthven’s sinister nature, he finds himself trapped in a perilous battle against the allure...
Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) and Derek Jacobi (Murder on the Orient Express) will star in the film, which comes courtesy of Milky Way Media.
Frances Barber (Dreamland), Amelia Gething, Amelia Clarkson, and Bill Fellows (Ted Lasso) also star.
Rosanna Hamlin and Trisha Ward are writing the screenplay.
Deadline details, “The Vampyre: Blood & Ink will depict Polidori’s dark account of the famed and mythical creatures. Pic will begin with Lord Ruthven, a mysterious and magnetic nobleman who captivates London society with his charismatic charm. Aubrey, a young Englishman, becomes infatuated with Ruthven and is drawn into a world of secrets and supernatural horror. As Aubrey uncovers the truth about Ruthven’s sinister nature, he finds himself trapped in a perilous battle against the allure...
- 6/16/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Exclusive: A feature adaptation of John William Polidori’s classic 19th-century gothic novel The Vampyre, one of the first English language novels to feature blood-sucking creatures, is in the works at Milky Way Media and Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) and Derek Jacobi (Murder on the Orient Express) are attached to lead.
We understand production on the pic, titled The Vampyre: Blood & Ink, is set to begin later this year across the UK and Northern Italy. Director is currently under wraps, but the screenplay is by debut writer Rosanna Hamlin, and playwright and director, Trisha Ward (Nightshriek/The Two Wolves), who will both work with producers John Ward, John Dodds, and associate producer Jamie Bulman (The Two Wolves).
Frances Barber, Amelia Gething, Amelia Clarkson, and Bill Fellows (Ted Lasso) are also attached to the pic.
Written in 1819, Polidori’s The Vampyre precedes Bram Stoker’s Dracula by nearly a hundred years and holds wide significance within the gothic genre. The Vampyre: Blood & Ink will depict Polidori’s dark account of the famed and mythical creatures. Pic will begin with Lord Ruthven, a mysterious and magnetic nobleman who captivates London society with his charismatic charm. Aubrey, a young Englishman, becomes infatuated with Ruthven and is drawn into a world of secrets and supernatural horror. As Aubrey uncovers the truth about Ruthven’s sinister nature, he finds himself trapped in a perilous battle against the allure of the vampire’s deadly powers.
The film will also explore how Polidori is confronted with his own inner demons and forbidden desires by telling the story of how he becomes obsessed with his real-life contemporary, Lord George Byron, who becomes an allegory for the character he has created – Lord Ruthven. When these obsessions are revealed, Polidori descends into madness as his mind slowly merges with the fictional character of Aubrey.
“Polidori’s novel was the source material for many for of the vampire stories that we now know and love and that are so pivotal to centuries of gothic storytelling,” said Ward, Producer, and Co-Founder of Milky Way Media. “This is the origin story that preceded Bram Stoker’s iconic Dracula – and it is time this original version was brought to the big screen. We’re eager to breathe new life into this iconic tale, with an incredible cast and the extraordinary writing talents of Rosie and Trisha.”
Hamlin added: “John Polidori is the father of vampiric literature as we know it and we have him to thank, for everything from Dracula to The Vampire Diaries. To date, he has been an overlooked pioneer of Gothic fiction, so it has been a pleasure to revisit this unparalleled novel and rediscover the timeless allure of the vampire mythos. This story is based around the balance of desire and darkness, love and horror, and the complexity of the mind.”...
We understand production on the pic, titled The Vampyre: Blood & Ink, is set to begin later this year across the UK and Northern Italy. Director is currently under wraps, but the screenplay is by debut writer Rosanna Hamlin, and playwright and director, Trisha Ward (Nightshriek/The Two Wolves), who will both work with producers John Ward, John Dodds, and associate producer Jamie Bulman (The Two Wolves).
Frances Barber, Amelia Gething, Amelia Clarkson, and Bill Fellows (Ted Lasso) are also attached to the pic.
Written in 1819, Polidori’s The Vampyre precedes Bram Stoker’s Dracula by nearly a hundred years and holds wide significance within the gothic genre. The Vampyre: Blood & Ink will depict Polidori’s dark account of the famed and mythical creatures. Pic will begin with Lord Ruthven, a mysterious and magnetic nobleman who captivates London society with his charismatic charm. Aubrey, a young Englishman, becomes infatuated with Ruthven and is drawn into a world of secrets and supernatural horror. As Aubrey uncovers the truth about Ruthven’s sinister nature, he finds himself trapped in a perilous battle against the allure of the vampire’s deadly powers.
The film will also explore how Polidori is confronted with his own inner demons and forbidden desires by telling the story of how he becomes obsessed with his real-life contemporary, Lord George Byron, who becomes an allegory for the character he has created – Lord Ruthven. When these obsessions are revealed, Polidori descends into madness as his mind slowly merges with the fictional character of Aubrey.
“Polidori’s novel was the source material for many for of the vampire stories that we now know and love and that are so pivotal to centuries of gothic storytelling,” said Ward, Producer, and Co-Founder of Milky Way Media. “This is the origin story that preceded Bram Stoker’s iconic Dracula – and it is time this original version was brought to the big screen. We’re eager to breathe new life into this iconic tale, with an incredible cast and the extraordinary writing talents of Rosie and Trisha.”
Hamlin added: “John Polidori is the father of vampiric literature as we know it and we have him to thank, for everything from Dracula to The Vampire Diaries. To date, he has been an overlooked pioneer of Gothic fiction, so it has been a pleasure to revisit this unparalleled novel and rediscover the timeless allure of the vampire mythos. This story is based around the balance of desire and darkness, love and horror, and the complexity of the mind.”...
- 6/16/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Warning: this review contains spoilers.
What was that film about the serial killer who wore their dead mum’s dress? It’ll come to me.
In ‘Love Is a Stranger’, Claire Rushbrook’s Vicky may have been a psycho but it was hard not to side with her – even after she landed that final hammer blow. Everything in the previous half hour had directed us towards sympathy, from the emotional piano music accompanying her online dating humiliations, to Rushbrook’s endearing, detailed performance that made Vicky the most recognisably human character in the half hour.
Radiating loneliness, Vicky suffered knockbacks, rudeness, deception and hurtful criticism, but soldiered on in her search for The One. The One to knock on the head with a lump hammer and keep a mutilated memento of in a jar on her kitchen shelf, to be specific. It puts a different spin on her “a few...
What was that film about the serial killer who wore their dead mum’s dress? It’ll come to me.
In ‘Love Is a Stranger’, Claire Rushbrook’s Vicky may have been a psycho but it was hard not to side with her – even after she landed that final hammer blow. Everything in the previous half hour had directed us towards sympathy, from the emotional piano music accompanying her online dating humiliations, to Rushbrook’s endearing, detailed performance that made Vicky the most recognisably human character in the half hour.
Radiating loneliness, Vicky suffered knockbacks, rudeness, deception and hurtful criticism, but soldiered on in her search for The One. The One to knock on the head with a lump hammer and keep a mutilated memento of in a jar on her kitchen shelf, to be specific. It puts a different spin on her “a few...
- 5/11/2023
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
Dreamland, like the Margate amusement park it’s named after, wears its brashness on its sleeve. Three minutes into the Sky Atlantic comedy, which is based on Sharon Horgan’s award-winning 2017 short, viewers have already been exposed to inflatable penises, a cannibalistic bunny, and, erm, “perineum oil”. But beneath the slapstick and cotton-candy hues, dark family secrets are lurking. There’s also commentary on class and race dynamics in British seaside towns. All of these elements play out to varying levels of success, but you can’t fault Dreamland for trying. Everything it does, it does with gusto.
It’s Trish’s (former Doctor Who companion Freema Agyeman) baby shower and the entire house, from the crystals to the TikTok-inspired chicken drumsticks, is pink. Wide-eyed and manic, Trish is desperate for a baby girl – hence the “manifestival” – and her partner Spence (the ever-excellent Kiell Smith-Bynoe) is happy to go along with it.
It’s Trish’s (former Doctor Who companion Freema Agyeman) baby shower and the entire house, from the crystals to the TikTok-inspired chicken drumsticks, is pink. Wide-eyed and manic, Trish is desperate for a baby girl – hence the “manifestival” – and her partner Spence (the ever-excellent Kiell Smith-Bynoe) is happy to go along with it.
- 4/6/2023
- by Isobel Lewis
- The Independent - TV
Some of the biggest stars in Sky’s sky came to the ever-wonderful Picturehouse Central this eveing for the premiere of Dreamland. The new comedy drama stars Lily Allen, Freema Agyeman, Gabby Best, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Frances Barber, Sheila Reid and Kiell Smith-Bynoe.
Dreamland starts on Thursday 6th April on Sky Atlantic and Now at 9pm with Episode 1. Sarah Cook, Colin Hart & Ethan Hart were on the red carpet, here are their interviews.
Dreamland Premiere Interviews
Plot:
Dreamland is a comedy-drama about secrets, lies, loves and aspirations within a family of four sisters. Set in the sun-drenched British seaside town of Margate, it is a dark comedic exploration of multi-generational female relationships, and their (somewhat dysfunctional) family dynamics.
Eldest sister Trish (Agyeman) is pregnant for the third time with her partner Spence (Kiell Smith- Bynoe). And this time, she’s decided: it’s going to be a girl. Her two sisters...
Dreamland starts on Thursday 6th April on Sky Atlantic and Now at 9pm with Episode 1. Sarah Cook, Colin Hart & Ethan Hart were on the red carpet, here are their interviews.
Dreamland Premiere Interviews
Plot:
Dreamland is a comedy-drama about secrets, lies, loves and aspirations within a family of four sisters. Set in the sun-drenched British seaside town of Margate, it is a dark comedic exploration of multi-generational female relationships, and their (somewhat dysfunctional) family dynamics.
Eldest sister Trish (Agyeman) is pregnant for the third time with her partner Spence (Kiell Smith- Bynoe). And this time, she’s decided: it’s going to be a girl. Her two sisters...
- 3/31/2023
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Whitstable Pearl is returning soon to Acorn TV. The streaming service has announced a premiere date for season two of the mystery series. Kerry Godliman, Frances Barber, Rohan Nedd, Robert Webb, and Emily Head star in the series, which follows Pearl Nolan, a restaurant owner who has a knack for investigations. There will be six episodes once again. Read More…...
- 11/7/2022
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Studio Soho has launched the brand-new trailer for the British drama ‘A Bird Flew In.’
When the UK’s lockdown is announced, the entire cast and crew of a feature film are sent home – alone. Now there are only actors with no audience, production crew with no set and directors with no script. Couples fall apart, others come together, and some find they are simply alone – A feature film composed of seven interlinked narratives, the film follows and examines what happens when we are freed from external distractions and forced to find meaning in our loves and lives.
The film features a stellar cast including Sadie Frost, Derek Jacobi, Morgana Robinson, Jeff Fahey, Frances Barber, Julie Dray, Sophie Kennedy Clark and Camilla Rutherford.
The film has garnered critical acclaim following festival screenings at the Paris International Film Festival, the Toronto Women Film Festival and London’s Raindance Film Festival where...
When the UK’s lockdown is announced, the entire cast and crew of a feature film are sent home – alone. Now there are only actors with no audience, production crew with no set and directors with no script. Couples fall apart, others come together, and some find they are simply alone – A feature film composed of seven interlinked narratives, the film follows and examines what happens when we are freed from external distractions and forced to find meaning in our loves and lives.
The film features a stellar cast including Sadie Frost, Derek Jacobi, Morgana Robinson, Jeff Fahey, Frances Barber, Julie Dray, Sophie Kennedy Clark and Camilla Rutherford.
The film has garnered critical acclaim following festival screenings at the Paris International Film Festival, the Toronto Women Film Festival and London’s Raindance Film Festival where...
- 9/6/2022
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Freema Agyeman, known for her roles in New Amsterdam and Doctor Who, is joining singer Lily Allen in the new original comedy Dreamland, based on Sharon Horgan‘s (Bad Sisters) BAFTA-winning short of the same name. According to Variety, Dreamland is about the secrets, lies, loves, and aspirations within a family of four sisters and is set in the British seaside town of Margate. It is described as “a dark comedic exploration of multi-generational female relationships, and their (somewhat dysfunctional) family dynamics.” In addition to Agyeman and Allen, the cast includes Kiell Smith-Bynoe (Stath Lets Flats), Gabby Best (Pls Like), Aimee-Ffion Edwards (Peaky Blinders), Frances Barber (Doctor Who), and Sheila Reid (Benidorm). Downton Abbey star Samantha Bond is also set to make a guest appearance. The six-episode series has already started filming in Margate. It is produced by Horgan and Clelia Mountford’s production company Merman, with Emma Jane Unsworth...
- 7/15/2022
- TV Insider
Lily Allen (“How to Build a Girl”) and Freema Agyeman (“Doctor Who”) are set to star in Sky Original comedy “Dreamland.”
“Dreamland” is based on Sharon Horgan’s BAFTA-winning short of the same name about “secrets, lies, loves and aspirations within a family of four sisters.”
“Set in the sun-drenched British seaside town of Margate, it is a dark comedic exploration of multi-generational female relationships, and their (somewhat dysfunctional) family dynamics,” reads the logline.
Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Gabby Best, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Frances Barber and Sheila Reid round out the cast. Samantha Bond also makes a guest appearance.
Filming has already kicked off for “Dreamland” in the seaside town of Margate in Kent.
The six-episode series is produced by Horgan and Clelia Mountford’s production company Merman, in association with Sky Studios.
Jon Mountague, director of comedy at Sky Studios and Alex Moody, commissioning editor at Sky Studios commissioned the show for Zai Bennett,...
“Dreamland” is based on Sharon Horgan’s BAFTA-winning short of the same name about “secrets, lies, loves and aspirations within a family of four sisters.”
“Set in the sun-drenched British seaside town of Margate, it is a dark comedic exploration of multi-generational female relationships, and their (somewhat dysfunctional) family dynamics,” reads the logline.
Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Gabby Best, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Frances Barber and Sheila Reid round out the cast. Samantha Bond also makes a guest appearance.
Filming has already kicked off for “Dreamland” in the seaside town of Margate in Kent.
The six-episode series is produced by Horgan and Clelia Mountford’s production company Merman, in association with Sky Studios.
Jon Mountague, director of comedy at Sky Studios and Alex Moody, commissioning editor at Sky Studios commissioned the show for Zai Bennett,...
- 7/15/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Mona Hammond, a former “EastEnders” star and West End trailblazer, has died. She was 91.
No cause of death has been given.
Hammond was best known for playing “EastEnders” matriarch Blossom on the long-running British soap opera as well as co-founding the Black British theater company Talawa alongside Yvonne Brewster, Carmen Munroe and Inigo Espejel in 1986.
The actor was of Chinese and Jamaican heritage, according to the Guardian, changing her name from Mavis Chin to Mona Hammond to avoid typecasting. Hammond was born in Jamaica and moved to Britain in 1959, working in an office while attending evening acting classes. Before long, she had won a scholarship to leading British acting college Rada. She graduated in 1964 and was soon gracing the boards in theaters across the country.
She also appeared in 70 roles on screen, including in comedies “The Crouches” and “Us Girls,” as well as playing Aunty Susu in sitcom “Desmond’s,” which...
No cause of death has been given.
Hammond was best known for playing “EastEnders” matriarch Blossom on the long-running British soap opera as well as co-founding the Black British theater company Talawa alongside Yvonne Brewster, Carmen Munroe and Inigo Espejel in 1986.
The actor was of Chinese and Jamaican heritage, according to the Guardian, changing her name from Mavis Chin to Mona Hammond to avoid typecasting. Hammond was born in Jamaica and moved to Britain in 1959, working in an office while attending evening acting classes. Before long, she had won a scholarship to leading British acting college Rada. She graduated in 1964 and was soon gracing the boards in theaters across the country.
She also appeared in 70 roles on screen, including in comedies “The Crouches” and “Us Girls,” as well as playing Aunty Susu in sitcom “Desmond’s,” which...
- 7/6/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Studio Soho International has acquired worldwide rights to “A Bird Flew In” and has launched sales at the Cannes Film Market.
“Quant” producer Kirsty Bell, the founder of production company Goldfinch Entertainment, makes her directorial debut with the film, which stars Sadie Frost, Derek Jacobi, Morgana Robinson, Jeff Fahey, Frances Barber, Julie Dray, Sophie Kennedy Clark and Camilla Rutherford. It is produced by Ben Charles Edwards (“Quant”) for Goldfinch with Phil McKenzie (“Twist”) serving as executive producer.
Composed of seven interlinked narratives, the film is set in the U.K.’s Covid-19 lockdown. The entire cast and crew of a feature film are sent home – alone. Now there are only actors with no audience, production crew with no set and directors with no script. Couples fall apart, others come together, and some find they are simply alone.
The film has had extensive festival play and has been gathering accolades. Bell...
“Quant” producer Kirsty Bell, the founder of production company Goldfinch Entertainment, makes her directorial debut with the film, which stars Sadie Frost, Derek Jacobi, Morgana Robinson, Jeff Fahey, Frances Barber, Julie Dray, Sophie Kennedy Clark and Camilla Rutherford. It is produced by Ben Charles Edwards (“Quant”) for Goldfinch with Phil McKenzie (“Twist”) serving as executive producer.
Composed of seven interlinked narratives, the film is set in the U.K.’s Covid-19 lockdown. The entire cast and crew of a feature film are sent home – alone. Now there are only actors with no audience, production crew with no set and directors with no script. Couples fall apart, others come together, and some find they are simply alone.
The film has had extensive festival play and has been gathering accolades. Bell...
- 5/23/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Stars: Rory Kinnear, Nikesh Patel, John Hopkins, Robert Bathurst, Frances Barber | Adapted by Mark Gatiss
The Mezzotint is the latest instalment of the BBC’s A Ghost Story for Christmas. The original series from 1971 to 1978 is justifiably considered a highlight of televised horror and its influence on later works is covered extensively in Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror. Since then, there have been sporadic attempts to revive the tradition, most recently by writer/director Mark Gatiss who has delivered seasonal shudders in 2013, 2018 and 2019, as well as this year.
Edward Williams is the curator of the Cambridge University Museum. He receives a mezzotint from a London art dealer as a potential addition to the Museum’s collection. He’s not impressed, deeming it a very ordinary picture of an estate house. But he becomes interested when a friend points out some features he somehow failed to notice,...
The Mezzotint is the latest instalment of the BBC’s A Ghost Story for Christmas. The original series from 1971 to 1978 is justifiably considered a highlight of televised horror and its influence on later works is covered extensively in Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror. Since then, there have been sporadic attempts to revive the tradition, most recently by writer/director Mark Gatiss who has delivered seasonal shudders in 2013, 2018 and 2019, as well as this year.
Edward Williams is the curator of the Cambridge University Museum. He receives a mezzotint from a London art dealer as a potential addition to the Museum’s collection. He’s not impressed, deeming it a very ordinary picture of an estate house. But he becomes interested when a friend points out some features he somehow failed to notice,...
- 12/21/2021
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
Christopher Eccleston will lead the cast of Dodger, a new story set in the world of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist. The series, produced by NBCUniversal International Studios, is a ten-part family adventure that will air next year on Cbbc and BBC iPlayer.
Eccleston will play Fagin, with David Threlfall cast as the chief of police, Billy Jenkins as the titular Dodger, and Saira Choudhry as Nancy. Filming is underway in Manchester. Aabay Ali, Ellie-May Sheridan, Mila Lieu, Connor Curren, Sam C Wilson, Tanya Reynolds, Lucy Montgomery, Frances Barber, Javone Prince and Rhys Thomas are also in the cast.
Set before the events of Oliver Twist, the show will follow the exploits of the infamous pickpocket, the Artful Dodger, and Fagin’s gang as they find ingenious ways to survive the grim and exploitative conditions of early Victorian London in the 1830s.
The series is written by Rhys Thomas and Lucy...
Eccleston will play Fagin, with David Threlfall cast as the chief of police, Billy Jenkins as the titular Dodger, and Saira Choudhry as Nancy. Filming is underway in Manchester. Aabay Ali, Ellie-May Sheridan, Mila Lieu, Connor Curren, Sam C Wilson, Tanya Reynolds, Lucy Montgomery, Frances Barber, Javone Prince and Rhys Thomas are also in the cast.
Set before the events of Oliver Twist, the show will follow the exploits of the infamous pickpocket, the Artful Dodger, and Fagin’s gang as they find ingenious ways to survive the grim and exploitative conditions of early Victorian London in the 1830s.
The series is written by Rhys Thomas and Lucy...
- 5/5/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Here’s the first trailer for UK drama A Bird Flew In (previously known as Alone), the Goldfinch-backed drama shot during lockdown.
Starring are Derek Jacobi (Gladiator), Jeff Fahey (Lost), Julie Dray (Cradle to Grave), Sophie Kennedy Clark (Nymphomaniac), Sadie Frost (Bram Stoker’s Dracula), Morgana Robinson (The Windsors), Camilla Rutherford (Yesterday), Michael Winder (Set The Thames On Fire) and Frances Barber (The Split).
In seven interlinked narratives, the film charts how when the Covid 19 lockdown is announced, the entire cast and crew of a feature film are sent home. Couples fall apart, others come together and some find they are simply alone.
Dominic Wells and Elizabeth Morris (Killers Anonymous) scripted the feature, which marks the directorial debut of Goldfinch producer Kirsty Bell. Msr Media International is handling sales.
Producing is Ben Charles Edwards (Set the Thames on Fire), executive producer is Philippe Martinez (Father Christmas Is Back).
Starring are Derek Jacobi (Gladiator), Jeff Fahey (Lost), Julie Dray (Cradle to Grave), Sophie Kennedy Clark (Nymphomaniac), Sadie Frost (Bram Stoker’s Dracula), Morgana Robinson (The Windsors), Camilla Rutherford (Yesterday), Michael Winder (Set The Thames On Fire) and Frances Barber (The Split).
In seven interlinked narratives, the film charts how when the Covid 19 lockdown is announced, the entire cast and crew of a feature film are sent home. Couples fall apart, others come together and some find they are simply alone.
Dominic Wells and Elizabeth Morris (Killers Anonymous) scripted the feature, which marks the directorial debut of Goldfinch producer Kirsty Bell. Msr Media International is handling sales.
Producing is Ben Charles Edwards (Set the Thames on Fire), executive producer is Philippe Martinez (Father Christmas Is Back).
- 3/2/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Production quietly began last month in London on pandemic-inspired feature Alone, which marks the directorial debut of Kirsty Bell, CEO of UK financier Goldfinch. The film is one of the first independent movies to get underway in the UK after lockdown.
Starring are Derek Jacobi (Gladiator), Jeff Fahey (Lost), Julie Dray (Avenue 5), Sophie Kennedy Clark (Nymphomaniac Vol 1) , Sadie Frost (Dracula), Morgana Robinson (The Windsors), Camilla Rutherford (Yesterday), Michael Winder (Set The Thames On Fire) and Frances Barber (The Split). Above is a first production still.
Conceived by Bell in the first week of lockdown and written in short order throughout confinement, the black and white film charts six interlinked narratives after the cast and crew of a film are sent home from set.
Set to complete mid-August, the production will shoot at Twickenham Studios and other parts of London this week and then a skeleton crew will travel...
Starring are Derek Jacobi (Gladiator), Jeff Fahey (Lost), Julie Dray (Avenue 5), Sophie Kennedy Clark (Nymphomaniac Vol 1) , Sadie Frost (Dracula), Morgana Robinson (The Windsors), Camilla Rutherford (Yesterday), Michael Winder (Set The Thames On Fire) and Frances Barber (The Split). Above is a first production still.
Conceived by Bell in the first week of lockdown and written in short order throughout confinement, the black and white film charts six interlinked narratives after the cast and crew of a film are sent home from set.
Set to complete mid-August, the production will shoot at Twickenham Studios and other parts of London this week and then a skeleton crew will travel...
- 8/3/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Seaside shenanigans ensue after an apparent hit-and-run accident in this slapdash, mildly amusing thriller
In this Blackpool-set thriller, semi-retired wide boy Greg (Craig Kelly) is feeling bored and stifled by the routine of fatherhood with an infant daughter and a constantly critical wife, Gemma (Maimie McCoy). On Halloween night, his brother Dan shows up claiming to have killed the son of local gangster queenpin Miss Ferguson in a hit-and-run accident. Desperate, Dan begs for Greg’s help.
But hold on a sec – is this all a staged scam, designed to jolt Greg into appreciating the pleasures of everyday life, as if the MacGuffin in David Fincher’s The Game were a rehab intervention? Or perhaps it’s all a hallucination or vision, given the early references to Greg’s putative psychic powers and tendency to smoke skunk?...
In this Blackpool-set thriller, semi-retired wide boy Greg (Craig Kelly) is feeling bored and stifled by the routine of fatherhood with an infant daughter and a constantly critical wife, Gemma (Maimie McCoy). On Halloween night, his brother Dan shows up claiming to have killed the son of local gangster queenpin Miss Ferguson in a hit-and-run accident. Desperate, Dan begs for Greg’s help.
But hold on a sec – is this all a staged scam, designed to jolt Greg into appreciating the pleasures of everyday life, as if the MacGuffin in David Fincher’s The Game were a rehab intervention? Or perhaps it’s all a hallucination or vision, given the early references to Greg’s putative psychic powers and tendency to smoke skunk?...
- 6/4/2020
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
Though each illuminating British TV across the past three decades, brothers Craig and Dean Lennox Kelly hadn’t acted alongside one another before on screen, until now. The Lancashire born siblings, known for their work on the likes of Queer As Folk and Shameless, respectively, both excel in this gritty and suspenseful British thriller, that examines just what lengths we’d go to in the name of family.
Craig Kelly plays Greg, a new father, he’s worn-out, fed-up and in need of excitement in his life. Though he couldn’t quite have anticipated it coming in the form of a visit from his brother Dan (Dean Lennox Kelly) in the middle of the night with nothing but a frantic expression on his face, and a body in the boot of his car. The pair set off into the night, as Greg ponders whether a lifetime changing nappies may just be preferable after-all.
Craig Kelly plays Greg, a new father, he’s worn-out, fed-up and in need of excitement in his life. Though he couldn’t quite have anticipated it coming in the form of a visit from his brother Dan (Dean Lennox Kelly) in the middle of the night with nothing but a frantic expression on his face, and a body in the boot of his car. The pair set off into the night, as Greg ponders whether a lifetime changing nappies may just be preferable after-all.
- 6/3/2020
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
In his latest podcast/interview, host and screenwriter Stuart Wright talks with director Ed Boase about the Blackpool set crime thriller Trick Or Treat, starring Craig Kelly (Queer As Folk) with his brother Dean Lennox Kelly (Shameless) alongside Jason Flemyng, Kris Marshall (Love Actually), Maimie McCoy (Van Der Valk), Shaun Parkes (The Mummy Returns), Hugo Speer (The Full Monty) and Frances Barber (Goal!).
Taking place over the course of a single psychedelic Halloween night in ghostly Blackpool, Trick Or Treat sees depressed Greg Kielty’s life get turned upside down when his estranged brother Dan turns up, claiming to have drunkenly run someone over. But has Dan just murdered a gangster’s son? Or maybe there’s an even more sinister explanation.
Trick Or Treat will be released on all major UK digital platforms on 1st June 2020 by genre specialists Evolutionary Films. Nb: This podcast was recorded in Autumn 2019 but...
Taking place over the course of a single psychedelic Halloween night in ghostly Blackpool, Trick Or Treat sees depressed Greg Kielty’s life get turned upside down when his estranged brother Dan turns up, claiming to have drunkenly run someone over. But has Dan just murdered a gangster’s son? Or maybe there’s an even more sinister explanation.
Trick Or Treat will be released on all major UK digital platforms on 1st June 2020 by genre specialists Evolutionary Films. Nb: This podcast was recorded in Autumn 2019 but...
- 5/26/2020
- by Stuart Wright
- Nerdly
The actor on starring in a new Pet Shop Boys musical, her addiction to Twitter and Strictly, and the impossibility of avoiding Brexit chat
Frances Barber, 62, was born in Wolverhampton and studied drama at Bangor and Cardiff universities. She began her stage career with the Hull Truck Theatre Company and in 1984 won an Olivier award for her RSC debut in Camille. Her film roles include Prick Up Your Ears, Sammy and Rosie Get Laid and Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool. TV credits include Silk, Doctor Who and Mapp and Lucia. She stars in the new Pet Shop Boys musical, Musik, which premieres at Edinburgh festival fringe.
How are rehearsals going for the Pet Shop Boys musical?
I’ve just got back from my first full run-through, doing the whole play in front of Pet Shop Boys. Not in the least bit frightening! Chris Lowe took his sunglasses off,...
Frances Barber, 62, was born in Wolverhampton and studied drama at Bangor and Cardiff universities. She began her stage career with the Hull Truck Theatre Company and in 1984 won an Olivier award for her RSC debut in Camille. Her film roles include Prick Up Your Ears, Sammy and Rosie Get Laid and Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool. TV credits include Silk, Doctor Who and Mapp and Lucia. She stars in the new Pet Shop Boys musical, Musik, which premieres at Edinburgh festival fringe.
How are rehearsals going for the Pet Shop Boys musical?
I’ve just got back from my first full run-through, doing the whole play in front of Pet Shop Boys. Not in the least bit frightening! Chris Lowe took his sunglasses off,...
- 7/27/2019
- by Michael Hogan
- The Guardian - Film News
Stars: Sam Rockwell, Ben Schwartz, Phoebe Fox, Peter Ferdinando, Peter Polycarpou, Simon Callow, Frances Barber, Amanda Donohoe, Al Weaver, Glenn Wrage, Robin Hellier, Pedro Lloyd Gardiner, Andre Flynn, Perry Jaques, Anton Saunders, Vic Waghorn, Paul Chan, Martin Muncaster, Jack Silver, Tom Tunney | Written and Directed by Hadi Hajaig
Opening a crime film, an indie crime film for that matter, in a diner only screams to remind audiences of Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, setting a high bar for the film to come. Which, frankly, means your film better live up to that expectation… Thankfully Blue Iguana does.
Blue Iguana, a British-American crime film, tells the story of ex-jailbirds, Eddie (Sam Rockwell) and Paul (Ben Schwartz), who are on parole, working in a New York diner… Eddie is calm and confident, whereas, Paul is loud-mouthed and impulsive. They’re a team, but their lives are at a dead-end. That is, until...
Opening a crime film, an indie crime film for that matter, in a diner only screams to remind audiences of Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, setting a high bar for the film to come. Which, frankly, means your film better live up to that expectation… Thankfully Blue Iguana does.
Blue Iguana, a British-American crime film, tells the story of ex-jailbirds, Eddie (Sam Rockwell) and Paul (Ben Schwartz), who are on parole, working in a New York diner… Eddie is calm and confident, whereas, Paul is loud-mouthed and impulsive. They’re a team, but their lives are at a dead-end. That is, until...
- 10/13/2018
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Everyone remembers the best among the scrappy 1980s films that started American “indie film” in earnest — particularly those over-stylized, wink-wink comedies by Jim Jarmusch, Susan Seidelman, Alexandre Rockwell, and so on that were among the movement’s most influential early successes. Similarly, few could forget how much fun “Reservoir Dogs” and “Pulp Fiction” were, revitalizing the crime-caper genre with wit and outsized directorial personality.
What we’d prefer to forget is just how many labored comedy quirkfests and effortfully wiseass capers the above films “inspired” for years afterward — wannabe movies straining for the same qualities without any original inspiration, failing to find their own voice while deliberately or unconsciously mimicking somebody else’s. The majority of these pale imitations wound up a blip on the Sundance Festival radar — if they were lucky — then were forgotten ever after.
Unfortunately, those happily buried cinematic memories come rolling back with the arrival of “Blue Iguana,...
What we’d prefer to forget is just how many labored comedy quirkfests and effortfully wiseass capers the above films “inspired” for years afterward — wannabe movies straining for the same qualities without any original inspiration, failing to find their own voice while deliberately or unconsciously mimicking somebody else’s. The majority of these pale imitations wound up a blip on the Sundance Festival radar — if they were lucky — then were forgotten ever after.
Unfortunately, those happily buried cinematic memories come rolling back with the arrival of “Blue Iguana,...
- 8/24/2018
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Sam Rockwell is worth seeing in anything, no matter how dire the circumstances in which the acting dynamo might find himself trapped. But Blue Iguana makes the freshly minted Oscar winner (for his totally worthy performance in Three Billboards) work way too hard to cut through the film’s blatant stupidity and buffet of clichés. Blue Iguana desperately seeks to be one of those artfully disreputable crime thrillers with a B-movie kick that’s hard to resist (think: Jonathan Demme’s Something Wild and George Armitage’s Miami Blues). I think not.
- 8/23/2018
- by Peter Travers
- Rollingstone.com
Hello and welcome back to our roundup of news from across the industry. From stage to screens big and small, we’ve got you covered. It’s everything you need to know and all you can’t afford to miss. Stars put their names to Acting Your Age campaign.Actors and figures from across the industry have put their names to a campaign that seeks to highlight the ‘invisibility’ of middle-aged women on stage and screen. Frances Barber, Ricky Gervais, and Michael Sheen are amongst the supporters of the Acting Your Age campaign, launched last week by actor, writer, and activist Nicky Clark. The 51-year-old said that no superpower compared to ‘the middle-aged woman’s ability to be invisible’. She said that ‘an entire generation’ of women are absent from TV and film, adding that ‘women over 40 if featured at all, are seemingly cast as supportive ex-wives, bitter ex-wives, or therapists’. Clark,...
- 5/29/2018
- backstage.com
"Being free, and being married - a contradiction." IFC Films has debuted a trailer for a British martial indie drama titled The Escape, from writer/director Dominic Savage (Love + Hate). This empowering indie first premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year. Gemma Arterton stars as an "ordinary woman" who "makes an extraordinary decision which will change her life forever." She plays a married woman in the middle of a challenging marriage on the verge of ending, who decides to go her own way. Dominic Cooper co-stars, with a main cast including Frances Barber, Marthe Keller, Montserrat Lombard, and Jalil Lespert. This looks quite impressive, with what seems to be an exceptional lead performance by Arterton in a very complex and compelling turn as this unhappy woman, looking for an "escape". See the trailer below. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Dominic Savage's The Escape, direct from YouTube:...
- 4/13/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Chicago – George Bailey: “Hey, you look good. That’s some dress you got on there.” Violet: “This old thing? I only wear it when I don’t care how I look.” That is how actress Gloria Grahame (as Violet Bick) was introduced in the classic “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Now she is portrayed by Annette Bening in “Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool”.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
The movie is based on a memoir by Peter Turner, who is portrayed in “Film Stars…” by Jamie Bell. Turner was a young actor who had an affair with the much older Grahame near the end of her life in the late 1970s/early ‘80s. He lived in Liverpool, England, and took care of the Oscar winner near her demise. The unusual May/December romance is characterized through Grahame’s deep insecurities, which Annette Bening plays to perfection. It’s also a somewhat claustrophobic film,...
Rating: 3.5/5.0
The movie is based on a memoir by Peter Turner, who is portrayed in “Film Stars…” by Jamie Bell. Turner was a young actor who had an affair with the much older Grahame near the end of her life in the late 1970s/early ‘80s. He lived in Liverpool, England, and took care of the Oscar winner near her demise. The unusual May/December romance is characterized through Grahame’s deep insecurities, which Annette Bening plays to perfection. It’s also a somewhat claustrophobic film,...
- 1/12/2018
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
What an astounding actress Annette Bening is. And she’s at her very best in Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool playing Gloria Grahame, a screen siren of the 1940s and 1950s. Here, however, we pick up with the actress during her last years, from 1979 to 1981, when she died of breast cancer at the age of 57. Instead of hitting all the familiar beats – fading bombshell desperately holding on to her past glory – Bening brings Graham to thrilling life as the complicated woman she was till the end.
Grahame made her...
Grahame made her...
- 12/29/2017
- Rollingstone.com
Casting directors remain the only job in the opening titles that doesn’t have its own Oscar category, but there’s reason to believe that will change. Already recognized by the Emmys, casting directors have made tremendous strides since they unionized in 2005 and negotiated their first contract with studios. In 2013, the guild earned its own Academy branch and received three seats at the Academy’s Board of Governors’ table. Last year, Lynn Stalmaster (“The Graduate,” “West Side Story”) received an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards, becoming the first-ever casting director to receive an Academy Award.
So: Let’s imagine for a moment casting directors had their own Oscar category in 2017: What are the best-cast films of the year?
IndieWire asked 15 of the top casting directors to nominate films worthy of casting recognition this year. We often think of the best films in terms of their expressive cinematography, enveloping production design,...
So: Let’s imagine for a moment casting directors had their own Oscar category in 2017: What are the best-cast films of the year?
IndieWire asked 15 of the top casting directors to nominate films worthy of casting recognition this year. We often think of the best films in terms of their expressive cinematography, enveloping production design,...
- 12/4/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
"Tell me how I look?" "You look beautiful." Sony Pictures Classics has debuted the new official Us trailer for the festival favorite Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool, which has played at the Telluride, Toronto and London Film Festivals to some great reviews. The film tells the story of Academy Award-winning actress Gloria Grahame, as played by the ever-so-talented Annette Bening. It mainly focuses on her passionate romance with a much younger movie star named Peter Turner, as played by Jamie Bell, and it's based on Turner's actual memoir. The full cast includes Julie Walters, Vanessa Redgrave, Kenneth Cranham, Stephen Graham, and Frances Barber. Grahame starred in The Big Heat, It's a Wonderful Life, In a Lonely Place, and Oklahoma!, and won the Oscar for her role in The Bad and the Beautiful. This still looks great, worth a watch this fall. Bening and Bell leading the way with outstanding performances.
- 11/21/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Simon Brew Sep 5, 2017
Annette Bening headlines Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool - and here's the first trailer...
Now here’s a movie we’re looking forward to. Directed by Paul McGuigan (Sherlock, Gangster No 1), Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool is the screen adaptation of Peter Turner’s memoir. The 70s-set film follows the relationship between Oscar-winning actress Gloria Grahame and the-then young man Turner. Annette Bening, in sublime form, plays the former, with Jamie Bell take on the latter role.
Also in the cast for this one are Julie Walters, Vanessa Redgrave, Kenneth Cranham, Stephen Graham, Frances Barber and Leanne Best. Matt Greenhalgh has penned the screenplay.
The first trailer for the film has landed too, bringing with it a synopsis as well.
Here’s the trailer…
And here’s the synopsis…
Liverpool, 1978: What starts as a vibrant affair between a legendary femme fatale and...
Annette Bening headlines Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool - and here's the first trailer...
Now here’s a movie we’re looking forward to. Directed by Paul McGuigan (Sherlock, Gangster No 1), Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool is the screen adaptation of Peter Turner’s memoir. The 70s-set film follows the relationship between Oscar-winning actress Gloria Grahame and the-then young man Turner. Annette Bening, in sublime form, plays the former, with Jamie Bell take on the latter role.
Also in the cast for this one are Julie Walters, Vanessa Redgrave, Kenneth Cranham, Stephen Graham, Frances Barber and Leanne Best. Matt Greenhalgh has penned the screenplay.
The first trailer for the film has landed too, bringing with it a synopsis as well.
Here’s the trailer…
And here’s the synopsis…
Liverpool, 1978: What starts as a vibrant affair between a legendary femme fatale and...
- 9/5/2017
- Den of Geek
"Could you take me to Liverpool? I could get better there..." Lionsgate UK has unveiled the first trailer for a film titled Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool, which just premiered at the Telluride Film Festival this weekend to great reviews. It will play at Tiff next and the London Film Festival, too. The film tells the story of Academy Award-winning actress Gloria Grahame, as played by the ever-so-talented Annette Bening. It mainly focuses on her passionate romance with a much younger movie star named Peter Turner, as played by Jamie Bell, and it's based on Turner's actual memoir. The full cast includes Julie Walters, Vanessa Redgrave, Kenneth Cranham, Stephen Graham, and Frances Barber. Grahame starred in The Big Heat, It's a Wonderful Life, In a Lonely Place, and Oklahoma!, and won the Oscar for her role in The Bad and the Beautiful. Based on the early buzz, this is...
- 9/4/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The public can’t seem to resist stories about the private lives of movie stars. We’re fascinated by who these beautiful flickering gods might be off-screen, and that fascination is exacerbated a thousand times over by the fact that these beautiful flickering gods don’t want us to know. It’s a recipe for infatuation and disaster. It’s also a recipe for some very bad movies. The truth may be stranger than fiction, but it’s awful hard to bridge the gap between the two.
“Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” is a tawdrier, more tragic, but similarly superficial “My Week with Marilyn,” devoted to the dying days of an actress who always lived in Monroe’s voluptuous shadow. By the time it ends, that darkness has grown so complete that it’s hard to tell whose story we’re even watching.
Gloria Grahame was born for black-and-white.
“Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” is a tawdrier, more tragic, but similarly superficial “My Week with Marilyn,” devoted to the dying days of an actress who always lived in Monroe’s voluptuous shadow. By the time it ends, that darkness has grown so complete that it’s hard to tell whose story we’re even watching.
Gloria Grahame was born for black-and-white.
- 9/2/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Independent boards doc about the life and career of acting legend Ian McKellen.
London-based sales and production outfit Independent has boarded feature documentary McKellen: Playing The Part and will introduce the title to buyers at Cannes.
Watch an exclusive first clip below, or click here to watch on mobile.
Joe Stephenson (Chicken) is directing the feature about the life of revered English actor Ian McKellen, whose career has spanned nearly 50 years and has seen him Oscar nominated for roles in Gods And Monsters and The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring.
The film, which is based around an exclusive 14-hour interview with McKellen, will also feature archive material of the actor’s early work, and never-before-seen photography from McKellen’s private collection.
English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel has written music for the film, which also features the likes of Luke Evans, Frances Barber, Adam Brown, Scott Chambers, Milo Parker and [link...
London-based sales and production outfit Independent has boarded feature documentary McKellen: Playing The Part and will introduce the title to buyers at Cannes.
Watch an exclusive first clip below, or click here to watch on mobile.
Joe Stephenson (Chicken) is directing the feature about the life of revered English actor Ian McKellen, whose career has spanned nearly 50 years and has seen him Oscar nominated for roles in Gods And Monsters and The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring.
The film, which is based around an exclusive 14-hour interview with McKellen, will also feature archive material of the actor’s early work, and never-before-seen photography from McKellen’s private collection.
English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel has written music for the film, which also features the likes of Luke Evans, Frances Barber, Adam Brown, Scott Chambers, Milo Parker and [link...
- 4/28/2017
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
Louisa Mellor Sep 26, 2016
Neverwhere prequel How The Marquis Got His Coat Back and Stardust are the next Neil Gaiman dramas coming to BBC Radio 4...
That BBC Radio 4 is following up its successful 2013 Neverwhere adaptation with a one-off audio dramatisation of a Neverwhere prequel short story has been something of an open secret* these past months.
How The Marquis Got His Coat Back produced and directed by Dirk Maggs and Heather Larmour, featuring voice performances from Adrian Lester, Paterson Joseph, Don Warrington, Bernard Cribbins and more, will be broadcast in November.
BBC Radio 4 evidently hasn't finished raiding Gaiman's archives either. A two-part dramatisation of his 1999 novel Stardust, which was made into a 2007 film directed by Matthew Vaughan, will come to the airwaves this Christmas.
Matthew Beard and Sophie Rundle will be playing leads Tristan and Yvaine in the fantasy romance, which is recording this week in London. Joining them are Charlotte Riley,...
Neverwhere prequel How The Marquis Got His Coat Back and Stardust are the next Neil Gaiman dramas coming to BBC Radio 4...
That BBC Radio 4 is following up its successful 2013 Neverwhere adaptation with a one-off audio dramatisation of a Neverwhere prequel short story has been something of an open secret* these past months.
How The Marquis Got His Coat Back produced and directed by Dirk Maggs and Heather Larmour, featuring voice performances from Adrian Lester, Paterson Joseph, Don Warrington, Bernard Cribbins and more, will be broadcast in November.
BBC Radio 4 evidently hasn't finished raiding Gaiman's archives either. A two-part dramatisation of his 1999 novel Stardust, which was made into a 2007 film directed by Matthew Vaughan, will come to the airwaves this Christmas.
Matthew Beard and Sophie Rundle will be playing leads Tristan and Yvaine in the fantasy romance, which is recording this week in London. Joining them are Charlotte Riley,...
- 9/26/2016
- Den of Geek
Exclusive: First look at Annette Bening and Jamie Bell in Barbara Broccoli-produced drama shooting in UK.
Screen can reveal the first image from Barbara Broccoli-produced UK romance-drama Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool, starring Annette Bening (American Beauty) as Hollywood golden age actress Gloria Grahame.
Bening stars alongside Jamie Bell (Billy Elliott) in the true story of the young Liverpudlian actor Peter Turner who fell in love with the older Hollywood actress Grahame, an Oscar-winner known for performances in Crossfire, The Bad And The Beautiful and Oklahoma!
The duo’s bond intensified after Grahame was diagnosed with terminal cancer and went to stay with Turner’s family home in Liverpool.
Cast on the long-gestating biopic also includes Vanessa Redgrave, Julie Walters, Kenneth Cranham, Stephen Graham, Frances Barber and Leanne Best.
Broccoli of James Bond producer Eon and Synchronistic Pictures’ Colin Vaines (Coriolanus) produce, while Im Global is co-financing the film and handling international sales. Lionsgate...
Screen can reveal the first image from Barbara Broccoli-produced UK romance-drama Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool, starring Annette Bening (American Beauty) as Hollywood golden age actress Gloria Grahame.
Bening stars alongside Jamie Bell (Billy Elliott) in the true story of the young Liverpudlian actor Peter Turner who fell in love with the older Hollywood actress Grahame, an Oscar-winner known for performances in Crossfire, The Bad And The Beautiful and Oklahoma!
The duo’s bond intensified after Grahame was diagnosed with terminal cancer and went to stay with Turner’s family home in Liverpool.
Cast on the long-gestating biopic also includes Vanessa Redgrave, Julie Walters, Kenneth Cranham, Stephen Graham, Frances Barber and Leanne Best.
Broccoli of James Bond producer Eon and Synchronistic Pictures’ Colin Vaines (Coriolanus) produce, while Im Global is co-financing the film and handling international sales. Lionsgate...
- 7/18/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: First look at Annete Bening and Jamie Bell in Barbara Broccoli-produced drama shooting in UK.
Screen can reveal the first image from Barbara Broccoli-produced UK romance-drama Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool, starring Annete Bening (American Beauty) as Hollywood golden age actress Gloria Grahame.
Bening stars alongside Jamie Bell (Billy Elliott) in the true story of the young Liverpudlian actor Peter Turner who fell in love with the older Hollywood actress Grahame, an Oscar-winner known for performances in Crossfire, The Bad And The Beautiful and Oklahoma!
The duo’s bond intensified after Grahame was diagnosed with terminal cancer and went to stay with Turner’s family home in Liverpool.
Cast on the long-gestating biopic also includes Vanessa Redgrave, Julie Walters, Kenneth Cranham, Stephen Graham, Frances Barber and Leanne Best.
Broccoli of James Bond producer Eon and Synchronistic Pictures’ Colin Vaines (Coriolanus) produce, while Im Global is co-financing the film and handling international sales. Lionsgate...
Screen can reveal the first image from Barbara Broccoli-produced UK romance-drama Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool, starring Annete Bening (American Beauty) as Hollywood golden age actress Gloria Grahame.
Bening stars alongside Jamie Bell (Billy Elliott) in the true story of the young Liverpudlian actor Peter Turner who fell in love with the older Hollywood actress Grahame, an Oscar-winner known for performances in Crossfire, The Bad And The Beautiful and Oklahoma!
The duo’s bond intensified after Grahame was diagnosed with terminal cancer and went to stay with Turner’s family home in Liverpool.
Cast on the long-gestating biopic also includes Vanessa Redgrave, Julie Walters, Kenneth Cranham, Stephen Graham, Frances Barber and Leanne Best.
Broccoli of James Bond producer Eon and Synchronistic Pictures’ Colin Vaines (Coriolanus) produce, while Im Global is co-financing the film and handling international sales. Lionsgate...
- 7/18/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
The BAFTA fellowship winner comes on board as the Im Global-backed project starts its shoot in Liverpool.
Vanessa Redgrave has joined the cast of Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, which started principal photography this week in the title city in north west England.
Redgrave joins a cast that already includes Annette Bening, Jamie Bell, Julie Walters, Kenneth Cranham, Stephen Graham, Frances Barber and Leanne Best. Bell plays British actor Peter Turner, on whose memoir about his playful but passionate relationship with Oscar-winning actress Gloria Grahame (Bening) the film is based.
Paul McGuigan is directing, from a script by Matt Greenhalgh, with Barbara Broccoli and Colin Vaines producing.
Im Global is co-financing the project and has the international distribution rights. Lionsgate will release the film in the UK in 2017.
The production will also film on location in London and Pinewood Studios.
Vanessa Redgrave has joined the cast of Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, which started principal photography this week in the title city in north west England.
Redgrave joins a cast that already includes Annette Bening, Jamie Bell, Julie Walters, Kenneth Cranham, Stephen Graham, Frances Barber and Leanne Best. Bell plays British actor Peter Turner, on whose memoir about his playful but passionate relationship with Oscar-winning actress Gloria Grahame (Bening) the film is based.
Paul McGuigan is directing, from a script by Matt Greenhalgh, with Barbara Broccoli and Colin Vaines producing.
Im Global is co-financing the project and has the international distribution rights. Lionsgate will release the film in the UK in 2017.
The production will also film on location in London and Pinewood Studios.
- 6/27/2016
- ScreenDaily
The BAFTA fellowship winner comes on board as the Im Global-backed project starts its shoot in Liverpool.
Vanessa Redgrave (pictured) has joined the cast of Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, which started principal photography this week in the title city in north west England.
Redgrave joins a cast that already includes Annette Bening, Jamie Bell, Julie Walters, Kenneth Cranham, Stephen Graham, Frances Barber and Leanne Best. Bell plays British actor Peter Turner, on whose memoir about his playful but passionate relationship with Oscar-winning actress Gloria Grahame (Bening) the film is based.
Paul McGuigan is directing, from a script by Matt Greenhalgh, with Barbara Broccoli and Colin Vaines producing.
Im Global is co-financing the project and has the international distribution rights. Lionsgate will release the film in the UK in 2017.
The production will also film on location in London and Pinewood Studios.
Vanessa Redgrave (pictured) has joined the cast of Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, which started principal photography this week in the title city in north west England.
Redgrave joins a cast that already includes Annette Bening, Jamie Bell, Julie Walters, Kenneth Cranham, Stephen Graham, Frances Barber and Leanne Best. Bell plays British actor Peter Turner, on whose memoir about his playful but passionate relationship with Oscar-winning actress Gloria Grahame (Bening) the film is based.
Paul McGuigan is directing, from a script by Matt Greenhalgh, with Barbara Broccoli and Colin Vaines producing.
Im Global is co-financing the project and has the international distribution rights. Lionsgate will release the film in the UK in 2017.
The production will also film on location in London and Pinewood Studios.
- 6/27/2016
- ScreenDaily
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